Turned shoe.



W. I. COLBY.

TURNED SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY16| 1917.

' Patented July 17, 1917.

WALTER I. COLBY, 0F HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS.

TURNED SHOE.

nseam.

- Application filed May 16, 1917. Serial No. 169,104. r

factory, but the use of a more satisfactory I stifiener, such as leather, which is suficiently stiff to make as strong a box as 1s deslred,

has been considered impractical on account of the fact that the shoe must be turned after the stifiener has been inserted, which operation involves the turning'o'f the-stiff: ener.

p while possible under some conditions has been considered impractical for a number of reasons, some of which are as follows It is the intention, in making turned shoes, to have the shoe turned and relastedgimmediately after the shoe is sewed, so that this may be done while the sole and countercare still in temper, but, frequently some time elapses before the turning operation is performed, so that a leather toe-stiffener. if employed, would become sodry that, either it could not be turned by ordinary methods. or, if it were turned. the shoe would be spoiled or seriously damaged.

In many instances if it were attempted to retemper the stiffener by the application of water, the moisture would strike through to the upper to its finished surface, and cause discolorations; which would be highly objectionable.

Furthermore, even if the shoe having a leather toe-stifiener is turned while the stidener is still intemper, another equally serious difficulty is likely to be encountered in that the turning operation tends to roll the stiffener out uf position, or to form wrinkles or bunches therein, and this has usually been the result when such use of a leather toe-stifiener has been attempted. As it is dit'licult. and usually impossible to work the stiflener back into place after such an occurrence, the use of suitably stid, leather box-toe-stifi'eners for turned shoes has not been considered practical for this reason, also.

This operation on such a stiflener,

Another objection to a stifi'ener, which must be in temper when turned, is that the moisture therein, when properly tempered to permit turning, is liable to strike through the upper of the shoe to the finished surface, so as to cause discolorations.

The use of celluloid as a toe-stifl'ener-for turned shoes-has been attempted, but as it mustbe softened by dipping it in alcohol before it is placed in position in the shoe and as the alcohol is liable to. evaporate before the shoe i turned, this material has been found to be impractical for this purpose.

Other forms of toe-stifi'eners have been employed for turned shoes, but any stifiener which may be turned when not in temper, or which does not stiffen very substantially after it is turned. is of but slight value for i this purpose. Nevertheless, leather is, so far as I am aware, the most desirable material which can'be employed in making1 a ed box t0e-stifi'ener for turned shoes, provi the above difliculties can be avoided.

The object of my invention is to produce a turned she in which the toe-stifi'ener thereofjnclu es. asole-lea,ther stifiening portion, of the desired strength, and which is incorporated therein in such a manner that the above noted objections will be avoided, so that the stidener will notbe wrinkled, or otherwise misplaced by the turning operation, and may be softened or retempered .With water, after the shoe is sewed, and before it is turned, without danger of injury to .the upper or without danger f having themoisture in the leather piece strike through to the upper. whether it is neces-. saryto retemper it 'or not. v

I accomplish these objects in the manner hereinafter described and as illustrated in .tional views of the stifl'ener, which I employ.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, when theshoe is lasted, therupper a is drawn onto'the last inside out, and temporarily held in place by .two tacks at each side. and the usual cloth lining'b is turned back to expose the flesh surface of the upper, to. permit the insertion of a box-toe-stifi'ener therebetween,

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented} July 1W, light.

which has been especially prepared for my purpose. I a

Each of these stifteners which I have prepared previously, is composed of a piece of thin, textile fabric 0, of suitable shape for a box-toe-stiffener, and having a non-waterproof adhesive applied to one side thereof, and a piece of leather d, of the same shape, securely cemented to the other sidethereof by a continuous coating 6 of rubber cement, preferably mixed with powdered cork, and adapted to provide an impermeable layer therebetween, so that water will be prevented from passing from one piece to the other.

The process of cementing these pieces together, with a waterproof cement, requires some time in order that the operation may be satisfactorily performed, as the cement must be appliedto both surfacesand then exposed to the air, for a time, before they can be'placed together. It is also necessary that the cement become thoroughly set before the stiffener is placed .in the' shoe. The

leather piece d is preferably formed from split sole leather, the split next the grain side being preferable in many instances, and its edge-portions are all skived down to a sharp edge, as shown.

Before the stiffener, thus prepared, is placed in position on the toe of the shoe, it is dipped in water, and laid aside until the leather is thoroughly tempered. At the same time the non-Waterproof cement on the textile piece 0 will be softened, so that it will adhere at once to the part to which it is applied.

When the stiffening piece, thus formed and in temper, is placed in position in the shoe, the previously prepared adhesively coated surface of the textile piece is placed on the flesh surface of the upper, so that the latter will firmly adhere thereto, and then the lasting operation is finished, so that the stiffening piece is lasted in with the upper and lining, as indicated in Fig. 2. .The shoe is then sewed, the stitches passing through the edge of the stiffener, as well as the upper, lining, and sole, and then it is turned and relasted in the usual manner, the construction of the finished shoe being indicated in Fig. 3..

With the above described construction, the leather stiffening. piece or stiffener (1 will be securely connected, throughout its entire surface, to the inner surface of the upper, practically as if it were-integral therewith, for the interposed textile piece 0 is securely attached at one side to the upper,

and, at the other side, 'to the leather piece (2 through the waterproof cement 6, thereby acting as an anchoring member for the leather piece. As a result, when the turning operation is performed, the connection between the upper and the stiffener piece 01 will not be broken, misplaced, or wrinkled,

- of injury to the upper, by simply wetting the tip portion of the cloth lining, which lies directly thereon, so that the moisture will strike througlthe lining to the stifl'ener, so as to retemper it, but will be prevented from striking through to the textile piece by the waterproof layer 6 therebetween. Consequently there is no danger that the adhesive connection of the textile piece with the upper will be loosened, or that the moisture will strike through to the surface of the upper, so as to damage its appearance.

The waterproof layer 0 also protects the upper from moisture in the leather stiffener, even when it is not necessary to retemper the latter before turning.

As above stated the rubber cement, employed to attach the textile and leather pieces together, is preferably mixed with pulverized cork. The urpose of using this substance in this relation is to increase the thiclmess of the waterproof layer and to increase the resilience and strength of the be less likely to be broken down.

' I claim:

1. A turned shoe having a pervious lining, a leather box-toe-stiffener disposed next the linin in position to permit the application of moisture thereto through the lining, and anchoring means for said stiffener composed of a sheet of relatively thin, flexible material adhesively connected, at one side, to the inner side of the upper, and, at the other, to said stiffener, the connecting adhesive between said sheet and stiffener being of waterproof material and forming an impermeable layer therebetween, to revent the passage of moisture from one to t e other.

2. A turned shoe having a textile lining,

a leather toe-stiffener disposed next the lining, a textile sheet adhesively connected to the inner side of the upper and a layer of waterproof material adhesively connecting said leather stiffener and textile piece. n 3. A turned shoe having a textile lining and provided with a leather toe-stiffener, disposed next the lining, and atextile sheet for said stifl'ener, coextensive therewith, and adhesively connected, at one side, to the inner side of the upper and, at the other, to said stiffener, the connectin adhesive between said sheet and said sti ener consisting of a]; impermeable layer of waterproof materia I ;and provided with toe-stiffening means comprising a leather stiffener having one surface thereof disposed next the lining, anda textile sheet having one. surface thereof adhesively connected to the'inner surface ofthe upper, and having an impermeable layer of Waterproof adhesive, mixed with pulverized cork, connecting the other surface thereof with the other surface of said stiffener;

5, A .box-toe-stiflener for turned shoes comprising a leather stiffening piece, and anchoring means therefor consisting of a sheet of relatively thin, flexible material having a waterproof coating on one of itssurfaces, adhesively to connect it to onesurface of the stiffening piece and prevent thepassage'of moisture from one to the other,

and having a non-Waterproof adhesive on its other surface, to connect it to the inner sursisting of a leather stifi'ening piece, atextile sheet extending over one side thereof, a

sheet of Waterproof material adhesively connecting said stiffening piece and said textile sheet and forming an impermeable layer therebetweem'and a non-waterproof adhesive on the opposite side of said textile sheet from said stiffening piece for connecting said sheet to the inner surface of the upper. In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WALTER I. COLBY. Witness: I

L. H.'HARRIMAN. 

